Containers for flammable liquids having two openings therein, one for pouring and another for filling are known. In some cases these openings function independently of each other and require additional venting means, which can involve additional costs in material and labor in producing such a container. In other such cases, the safety of one using such containers can be jeopardized, because the trigger means used to operate the container has a high profile and can be accidentally activated. This can be particularly hazardous when the actuating means and the carrying means are combined and the container is being carried by hand without any immediate desire to discharge liquid therefrom.
In the prior art, Packer in U.S. Pat. No. 2,335,195 discloses a container having a discharge spout, a closure pivotally associated with the spout, a carrying handle for the container and a link connected at one end to the closure and operatively connected at the other end to the carrying handle. Flider in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,727,807 and 3,729,129 discloses a container having separate pour and fill spouts and a carrying handle having a high profile that also serves as an actuating means for opening each of said spouts. Flider in U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,667 also discloses a container having separate pour and fill spouts but no means to open the fill spout during the pouring operation. Pratz et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,251 disclose a single spout in a container for filling and discharging fluid from a container and means, including a pair of handles, for opening and closing said spout.
The safety container for flammable liquids disclosed and claimed herein has many unusual and attractive features. It has a small number of components and moving parts and is of simplified construction and assembly. It has separate pour and fill spouts and provisions for automatic venting through the fill spout during the pouring operation. The trigger mechanism, separate and distinct from the carrying means, is confined under, and protected by, the carrying means, resulting in a low profile therefor, thereby reducing the chance of accidental discharge of liquid fuels and other volatile liquids therefrom.